Birgit

  “Congratulations!” Hilaria shouted, rushing up to hug Birgit as she walked off the field after winning the final match of the Combat Class practice tournament decisively.

  Uma was not far behind. “You were amazing. I always knew you were the most skilled mage in our class, and now that you have Niles to give you power, everyone knows it. I think you might even have a chance at winning the end-of-semester championship.”

  “You did great, too, Niles,” Hilaria added.

  “Woo hoo,” Niles deadpanned with a complete lack of enthusiasm. “Hurray for Niles the magic battery… It’s not like I really did anything but stand there. Nobody even got close to cracking Birgit’s defense.”

  “But I could not have done it without you,” Birgit said with complete sincerity. She knew without a doubt that without him she would have lost in the first or second round, but she could tell Niles did not appreciate what an important role he played.

  “And you have been a tremendous help on our last two crystal hunts,” Hilaria pointed out. “We have all made so much more since you joined us, especially Birgit.”

  That seemed to lift Niles’ spirits a bit. “I hope we find a better site to hunt this weekend. Last weekend was pretty lame.”

  Niles’ assessment of their second crystal hunt surprised Birgit. It had not been as lucrative as their first, but Niles’ share had come out to just over a gold. Was he really so greedy, or was he disappointed that he had only had to fight three tainted animals and no horrors last weekend?

  “It may not have been as profitable as your first hunt, but it was still better than our hunts were before you joined us,” Uma informed him. “But tonight we should celebrate Birgit’s victory in the tournament. Mona told me of a wonderful little tavern just inside the city proper called the Tune and Tun, that has live music every evening. None of us have any tests tomorrow, so I think we should go there tonight.”

  “That sounds perfect,” Hilaria agreed enthusiastically.

  Birgit was less enthusiastic. “Our plan was to get an early start tomorrow since we have the day free, and trips into the city proper always end up costing more than we expect.”

  “But we can finally afford to spend some money,” Hilaria countered. “What is the use of pushing ourselves to hunt in more dangerous areas if we refuse to enjoy any of the profits?”

  “And we do not have to stay late,” Uma added. “So, we should still be able to get an early start.”

  “Besides, Niles has not gotten to see the capital yet,” Hilaria said, turning to Niles. “You want to see the capital, do you not?”

  Niles shrugged. “Sure, beats just sitting around here.”

  Niles’ enthusiasm had been steadily diminishing since his arrival. The first few days he had been excited about everything, but he had gradually been turning listless, almost sullen. He was also becoming more insistent that she put more time into finding a way for him to return home. Birgit had been setting aside at least an hour a day to research in the library but had not found a single lead yet, and she would soon run out of texts to comb for clues. She dreaded how Niles might react if she had to admit the library here held no information she could use. Maybe it would be good to get him out and show him some new things. Hopefully, if he found things here he enjoyed, he would be less likely to react badly to having to stay.

  “Alright,” Birgit agreed. “I just need time to clean up and change, and then we can head out.”

  An hour later, they met at the academy gate. They would have been ready earlier, but Niles invited Susi along as well. She knew it was only fair, and even proper, to invite her sister. Susi was her companion after all, not her maid, and it had been quite a while since her sister had gotten out of the academy to do anything fun, but Birgit was not looking forward to both Hilaria and Susi flirting with Niles all evening. Maybe that would help cheer him up, though. He always seemed to play along with them anyway, though to be honest, Birgit did not know if he really found either of them remotely attractive.

  They still ended up having to wait nearly another quarter hour for Uma and Mona. Mona showed up wearing the light leather armor she usually wore, but with a slightly fancier than usual surcoat and what looked like a new gold sash. Uma was wearing a pretty blue and gold dress Birgit had never seen before, which, as usual, outshone both her and Hilaria’s dresses. Maybe if their hunts continued to be as profitable as they had been, she would splurge on a new dress. The end-of-semester ball was coming up soon, after all.

  Looking over at Niles, Birgit saw he was wearing one of the same plain outfits he always did, but then that was all he had. He could afford better clothes himself now, but maybe she should buy him some new clothes as a gift. Would that make him more content to be here?

  Birgit held Niles’ hand as usual, but Susi claimed his entire other arm as they set off for the city. It was a pleasant evening for a walk, and the setting sun painted the scattered clouds in vibrant colors. By the time they reached the city gates, the sun had set, though, so they would have to make the walk back to the academy in the dark. With both Nile and Mona with them, that should not be a problem. There were seldom bandits this close to the capital, and never monsters.

  Niles’ interest seemed to re-engage as they entered the city. Maybe she should bring him during the day sometime and really show him around. Birgit still found the vast city fascinating even after all these years at the academy, not that she had come into the city all that often. Her studies always claimed most of her time.

  The Tune and Tun was not that far into the city, and they found it easily. It was not the fanciest establishment Birgit had ever visited, but it was clean and respectable. They ordered a meal, and the food was good, if not exceptional. To their surprise, they discovered that tonight, instead of a professional minstrel, anyone was welcome to sing for the crowd, and a string of patrons got up to entertain their fellows, accompanied by a lute player supplied by the tavern. Most of them sang well enough, though a few were obviously tone-deaf. A few were quite good as well, though, so it balanced out.

  “Birgit, you should get up and sing,” Susi insisted. “You can sing better than any of these others. Your voice is beautiful.”

  Birgit had ordered a glass of wine with her dinner, which she had been nursing slowly, but Susi had already finished two glasses, and it was showing. At least her focus was on Birgit now instead of Niles, though she still held his arm and was far closer than was proper.

  “Oh, yes, you must sing,” Hilaria agreed. “We have not heard you sing for a long time, and Niles has never heard you sing.”

  “I will sing if one of you will,” Birgit offered, knowing none of them would.

  “Okay, I’ll sing if you go first,” Niles agreed.

  All eyes turned to him, but Mona was the first to give voice to their shock. “You sing?”

  “Sure,” Niles replied, almost smugly. “Back when I was in college, my friends and I used to do karaoke all the time… that’s kind of like this.”

  “Now you have to sing, Birgit, so we can hear Niles sing,” Susi said with a sly smile.

  Birgit had made the offer, expecting no one to take her up on it, but she enjoyed singing. It had been a while since she had sung for such a large group, and she was curious to hear Niles sing, too. Had he just offered to get her to sing, or was he really serious?

  Birgit had her and Niles’ names added to the list of singers, and two songs later she was called up by a waitress, who was also serving as the announcer. “Ladies and gentlemen, we have a special treat for you tonight. Lady Birgit of Hazzerbog is making her debut performance at the Tune and Tun. Everyone, give her a warm welcome.”

  The crowd clapped politely as Birgit walked up to the small stage set up in one corner of the tavern and talked to the lute player. Fortunately, he knew one of Birgit’s favorite songs, a light ballad that no one else had sung so far. Birgit was rather rusty, but the lute player was good. Aside from a couple of minor slips at the beginning, Birgit was happy with her performance, and the crowd responded favorably, with more enthusiasm than they had shown for many of the other singers.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  “That was wonderful,” Uma whispered when Birgit resumed her seat and the others murmured their agreement, but they were all watching Niles as he made his way up to the stage.

  “And now, ladies and gentlemen, we have a first for the Tune and Tun,” the waitress/announcer called out, to quiet the crowd. “Lady Birgit’s familiar, our first ever hu, is here to sing for us. Please give Niles a warm welcome.”

  There was more murmuring than clapping as Niles talked to the lute player. After a moment, the lute player shrugged and set down his instrument.

  Niles closed his eyes for a moment and then began to sing. “Hello darkness my old friend…”

  Birgit had always found Niles’ speaking voice pleasant enough, but she had no idea that he could sing so well. His singing voice was deep and rich, with a slightly rough edge to it that only made it more engaging, and his song was one Birgit did not know. The tune differed from anything she had ever heard before, with a haunting quality that sent a shiver down her spine. Adding to the tone of the music, the words were dark and brooding.

  Birgit quickly realized the song must be one from Niles’ home plane, as he flavored it with words like neon and subway that had no meaning to her. She did not feel like she fully understood the song, but Niles sang it with such passion. There was almost an aching sadness to it. Realization suddenly dawned on Birgit that all this time she had been thinking of Niles as just some brute who was angry at being trapped. It had never really crossed her mind that he might be sad about it. Was he homesick? He had told her about a former romantic interest, but he had said that was over. He had not sounded sad to be away from her, but did he have family and friends Birgit had pulled him away from? Unsure if it was the music or her realization, Birgit felt tears welling up.

  When Niles finished his song, silence reigned for a long moment before the crowd erupted into applause and cheers. Niles smiled and waved to everyone before returning to his table.

  “That was amazing,” Susi gushed. “You have such a beautiful voice.”

  “And that song was so different… very good, though. Was it a song from your world?” Hilaria asked.

  “It was,” Niles confirmed, “The Sound of Silence, the Disturbed version.”

  “Excuse me,” a waitress cut in, having just walked up. “Several people have offered to buy you drinks, Niles. What would you like?” The waitress was a young gorgon woman, and Birgit saw she was blushing as she looked at Niles.

  “Just some tea would be fine,” Niles answered with a polite smile.

  “Oh, come on,” Hilaria urged. “Why not have some wine? The vintage here is very good, and you certainly earned it.”

  Like Mona, he had been only drinking tea. Birgit assumed it was because of his role as her guardian, but she had little need for a guardian here. Perhaps it would help him relax if he had some wine.

  Birgit was sure a single glass would be fine for someone so large. “It is alright if you would like a glass. I appreciate your dedication to your role as my guardian, but there is no danger here and little chance there will be any on our way home. The area around the capital is quite safe.”

  “Thanks, but I don’t drink,” Niles replied.

  Susi pressed herself against the arm she had reclaimed. “Aw, why not?”

  “My mother had a real problem with alcohol,” Niles answered, his voice quiet. “It really messed up our family, so I don’t drink.”

  Once again, Birgit had to rethink her impression of Niles. He did indeed have a family. He had a whole life back in his home plane, and she had pulled him from that. Were there people back in his world who missed him, or worse, depended on him? She felt terrible and vowed to redouble her efforts to get him home. Unfortunately, that would have to wait until they got back from their crystal hunt. She was certain the hunt’s crystals and money were essential for his return as well, though, making the hunt necessary.

  “I cannot believe Niles still has the energy to practice so hard after today,” Hilaria noted as she watched Niles run through the forms Mona had taught him.

  It had been a grueling, but very lucrative, day of crystal hunting. The terrain had been extremely rugged, requiring them to do almost as much climbing as walking. It was no wonder that no one had harvested the area in a long time. They would have never picked the area themselves if Niles had not spotted crystals from the air. That he could pick out crystals from such a distance was amazing and opened up many possibilities for their future hunts. All the crystals they found were at least medium and better than half had been large, all with at least strong color. The purities varied, and they had found no rare-type crystals, but Brigit was certain this would be their most profitable trip yet, even if they did no more hunting.

  Of course, the older, stronger crystals almost all had guardians. Niles had fought nine tainted animals and one planar horror on his own and helped Hilaria’s guardian with a second horror when she called for help. He had been burned, clawed, bitten, and blasted with ice shards and lightning, but still there he was, drilling with his spear as if he had all the energy in the world. At least this time, Birgit had helped him defeat some of the monsters. Her magic potential was definitely growing. Spells were still slow, though, so she would never think about hunting without Niles. She realized how lucky she was to have him, but how could she keep him?

  “Have you noticed anything different about Niles lately?” Birgit asked.

  “He is maybe a little calmer than he was when he first got here,” Uma answered. “No doubt, he is just growing accustomed to our plane.”

  “But does he not seem a little sad to you?” Birgit pressed.

  Hilaria looked back at Birgit. “Why would he be sad?”

  Birgit hesitated for a moment, wanting to tell her friends all about what had happened, but she could not. “It is just that he has been spending so much time here, is all. I wonder if he is actually happy.”

  “If he were not, why would he spend so much time here?” Uma asked. “You did not trick him into a bad contract or anything, did you?”

  “The contract was simple, and he freely agreed to it,” Birgit answered quickly. “I do not think he regrets the contract. I just wish there was some way I could make him happier to be here.”

  “The happier he is, the more time he will want to stay,” Hilaria agreed. “But he is already here almost all the time. I do not think I have seen you without him since you summoned him.”

  “He likes food. Maybe you could take him out for a nice dinner at one of the fancy restaurants in the city,” Uma suggested.

  “He certainly eats enough,” Hilaria noted. “But he does not seem to have a very refined palette. I think he prefers quantity over quality, and he can eat all he wants at the academy. But you said gold was precious on his plane. Maybe you could just pay him more.”

  Birgit thought about the idea briefly before dismissing it. “I am already giving him a much bigger share of the profits we have been making from the hunts than we initially agreed to, but I want something he can enjoy here.”

  “Maybe some new clothes,” Uma suggested.

  Hilaria wrinkled her nose. “Maybe, but he does not seem like the type to really value clothing. You saw what he was wearing when we summoned him, practically nothing. He doesn’t still have that outfit, does he?” Hilaria made her question sound comically hopeful, causing Uma to giggle. “He is a man, though, so if he is anything like the men here, you could hire a courtesan for him.”

  “Hilaria!” Uma gasped. “I am sure Niles is not that sort of man. But perhaps you could encourage a romance for him. Did you see how that gorgon waitress looked at him last night? And she invited him to come back to the tavern again several times.”

  “But a romance with her would only complicate things and take him away from the academy more,” Hilaria pointed out, before turning a sly smile toward Birgit. “However, a romance with your sister, on the other hand, would tie him even closer to you. She seemed quite fond of him last night.”

  Birgit sighed. “Maybe that is a possibility. When she flirts with him, he flirts back, but he does that with you too, Hilaria, and he seldom talks about Susi when she is not around.”

  Hilaria raised an eyebrow. “Hmm, perhaps you should think about starting a romance yourself. You two hold hands almost all the time, and he sleeps right next to you on our hunts. Maybe you should slide a little closer. After all, you could absorb his magic all night long if you were to snuggle.”

  “Professor Fenhopper actually suggested that,” Birgit admitted.

  “No!” Uma gasped.

  “Ha, so you have been thinking about it,” Hilaria laughed. “If he were to fall in love with you, he would want to be here all the time, and you would not be the first mage to take an other-planar entity as a lover.”

  Uma’s eyebrow almost shot into her hairline. “Hilaria! She could not do that. How would she ever find a husband if she took Niles as a lover?”

  “Would that be so bad, though?” Hilaria asked. “It is not like Birgit has that many impressive marriage prospects, not that I am any better off. The best we can probably hope for is to become the wife of some merchant or the consort of some baron. But with Niles tied to her by more than just a limited contract, she could become one of the most powerful mages in the kingdom. You told us you can already feel your potential growing, Brigit. Just think what you could do if he were to hold you all night, every night. Actually, now that I think about it, if you do not want to start a relationship with him, perhaps you could send him my way. I rather like the idea of being held by him all night, every night. I could still let you have him during the days.”

  Uma giggled. “Hilaria, you are just awful.”

  “What did she do now?” Niles asked.

  Birgit gasped. She had not heard Niles come up behind them. How much had he heard?

  “We were just discussing sleeping arrangements,” Hilaria said innocently. “We are higher in the mountains than we have been before, so it is likely to get quite cold tonight. I do not know if our blankets will be warm enough.”